Day: November 30, 2021

Closing Thought–30Nov21

More news for the country……

Next year prices will probably go up especially for fresh veggies…..there may be a shortage of fertilizer for crops…..so naturally scarcity will make us mere mortals pay more for our food.

Farmers have no shortages of things to worry about, and Reuters reports that a major new concern has joined the list this year: Nitrogen fertilizer is in short supply, and its cost is skyrocketing as a result. This could not only translate into higher prices in everything from bread to meat in the coming months, but the shortage is forcing farmers to make dicey gambles about the fall and upcoming spring planting season. A slew of factors are behind the shortage, including record low temperatures in Texas earlier this year and Hurricane Ida’s slamming of production facilities in Louisiana in August, per the Weather Channel. A post at Ag Week, meanwhile, blames “a rare combination of supply chain issues that have tightened supplies,” including high prices for natural gas, a key component in the fertilizer.

“Right now, we have an almost a perfect storm of high energy prices, China cutting its production because of higher energy prices, as well,” agricultural economist John Beghin of the University of Nebraska tells Ag Web. “In Europe, they’re suffering through very high gas prices. Then we have supply disruptions in the US.” American farmers typically pay for fertilizer upfront, and the high price is causing many to put off purchases until the spring. That raises the risk of an even tighter shortage then, with accompanying higher prices. On top of that, holding off until then makes the logistics of spring planting much more difficult to navigate. “There’s going to be a lot of people who wait and see,” Daren Coppock of the Agricultural Retailers Association tells Reuters. “(But) if everybody’s scrambling in the spring to get enough, somebody’s corn isn’t going to get covered.”

Not to worry…..inflation will remain manageable for rising food prices is not part of the equation….the excuse being that prices fluctuate to give a good picture…..to that I call bullshit!

Food prices go up and seldom come down….so where is the fluctuation?

Main Street suffers but that matters not as long as the ‘markets’ are protected…..and the rest of us can go to Hell…..or worse….go hungry.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

‘lego ergo scribo’

Advertisement

Somethings Never Change

As an old fart I have been watching the world slowly spiral into the piece of manure it is today.

Ever since WW2 the US has been a poser for human rights and change….but ever since those days the US has never wavered from the domination they have pursued…..enter Biden as president…..nothing has changed the US continues to poke the tiger in the eye….instead of diplomacy it sends troops, an act of aggression at best.

A State Department official said Friday that “all options” are on the table on how to respond to Russia’s alleged troop build-up near its border with Ukraine and that the US will decide with NATO next week on what steps to take.

“As you can appreciate, all options are on the table and there’s a toolkit that includes a whole range of options,” Karen Donfried, the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, told reporters.

For weeks now, the US has been warning that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine. But Russia strongly denies the claim and insists that any military movement within its own borders is not meant as a threat. Amid the tensions, the US has been very vocal about its support for Ukraine. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan assured his Ukrainian counterpart Friday of Washington’s “ironclad support” for Kyiv.

Also on Friday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia of consequences if it moves on Ukraine. “If Russia uses force against Ukraine that will have costs, that would have consequences,” he said.

Russian officials have pointed to the increase in US and NATO activity in the region as the source of tensions. In the Black Sea, there has been a regular presence of US warships that operate alongside NATO allies. On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said US bombers rehearsed a nuclear strike on Russia this month, and some of the planes came within 12.4 miles of Russia’s border.

The Biden administration is reportedly considering sending military advisors and more weapons to Ukraine, a move that would inflame tensions with Russia even more. The potential weapons package could include new Javelin anti-tank missiles, mortars, and stinger missiles.

(antiwar.com)

The US continues to pursue Russia in the Black Sea region……but what will a war with Russia look like?

Recent days have seen a new flurry of Western media reports that U.S. intelligence believes that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine early in the new year. These reports have already led to warnings by NATO and Washington that Russia would pay a heavy economic and political price in the event of a war.

Russia, for its part, has denied the dire nature of the reports, blaming “a targeted information campaign,” according to Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, on Monday. “This is building up tension.”

Nevertheless, this should also lead to a determined and sincere new effort by the United States and leading European governments to find a reasonable compromise with Russia over the Ukrainian disputes. For quite apart from the global economic damage that would result from a war in Ukraine, and the ways in which China would take advantage of such a crisis, the West has a very strong reason indeed to avoid a new war: the West would lose.

What war with Russia over Ukraine would really look like

How will this end?

Watch This Blog!

I Read, I Write, You Know

‘lego ergo scribo’